Arts in Society

Boston Review’s Arts in Society section publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and criticism. It focuses on how the arts loosen the hold of convention, bear witness to injustice, provoke new ways of seeing the world, and speak to the most pressing political and civic concerns of our time.

Browse by Genre

Criticism, Poem, Memoir, Short Story

Browse Criticism by Topic

Fiction, Film and TV, Literature, Music, Poetry, Visual Art

The Fit

  • Rae Armantrout

Seconds

  • Rae Armantrout

The Walk

  • Carmen Gimenez-Rosello

Pillow Talk

  • Carmen Gimenez-Rosello

house/boat

  • Julie Carr

A Beautiful Illusion

John Nash and the Hollywood romance with mental illness.

  • Alan A. Stone

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Wishes of the River

A short story. 

  • Robin Bradford

Writing in Exile

Forsaking domestic comforts, James Hamilton-Paterson explores his inner life and our human nature.

  • Roger Boylan

Snakes and Ladders

Eric Ambler's newly reissued spy thrillers confront a century of political treachery.

  • Jennifer Howard

 Lovers, Spouses, Prostitutes.

Review: The Spirit Returns.

  • Ethan Paquin

Review: Darkling

By Anna Rabinowitz.

  • Bin Ramke

Review: The Mercy Seat

Collected & New Poems, 1967-2001 from Norman Dubie.

  • Ian Tromp

Review: alphabet and Ring of Fire

  • Andrew Zawacki

New American Prose Poetry

Review: The American Prose Poem and The Tormented Mirror.

  • Max Winter

Microreviews: February/March 2002

Eleven new poetry collections.

Poet’s Sampler: Jacqueline Waters

Introduced by Charles North

  • Jacqueline Waters

Bellissimo as Faust

  • Derek Webster

Bellissimo on the Couch

  • Derek Webster

Between the River’s Curves

  • Brian Henry

Richard Diebenkorn: Ocean Park, 24

  • Stephanie Burt

Franz Kline: Wanamaker Block

  • Stephanie Burt

Town, Gone

  • Mark Wunderlich

Song with a Child’s Pacifier in It

  • Bruce Smith

Still Life w/ Influences

  • Joyelle McSweeney
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